Betty-Lou and I have a love-hate relationship. I love the colour, the consistency, and the pigmentation.

The Balm – Betty-Lou Manizer

I also HATE the pigmentation. Good grief is she scary to use. The first time I tried her (other than swatching here, there and everywhere) I made the mistake of dipping my Kabuki brush straight in and rubbing it around like a woman possessed. Then I swept it on the top of my forehead (y’know – like all the pros do). Biiiig mistake. I looked as though I had dipped my head into some shimmery cocoa powder, mixed with brick dust. As I tried to get my panicked breathing under control, I took my trusty Real Techniques buffing brush (that baby can sort out all manner of overzealous makeup application) and buffed. Then buffed some more. I buffed as if my life depended on it. Once the redness had died down – from all the buffing – and my eyes had cleared from the tears of fear, I took a look in the mirror. Expecting to see a big brown mess, I was pleasantly surprised that I looked fairly normal, just gently bronzed. It was then that I took a vow. I promised myself that I would only place that brush back on my face with minimal bronzer on, and only after tapping the heck out of it first.

Since then, you’ll be relieved to know, I haven’t had another disaster involving Betty. She has been kind to me. I still get a little shiver of terror when I first go to apply the brush to my face though, followed by a sigh of relief when I know it’s all going to be alright.

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I don’t think I am unique when I say I Love Budget Makeup. As nice as it is sometimes to splurge on a high end product, there is something very satisfying about popping in to Boots, or Superdrug, or even the supermarket, and picking up a handful of exciting new products to play with. A few months ago, I was on a super speedy (all shopping is carried out double quick when accompanied by a three year old and a not yet one year old) trip into my local high street. I ran into Superdrug and headed straight for the makeup stands. Although I had seen Makeup Revolution before, I don’t think I had ever purchased anything from their line before. First I noticed the eye shadow palettes, or should I say, the space where the palettes should have been. Empty. Then, the lipsticks. Empty. My eye then travelled to the highlighters, and seeing two different shades (Pink Lights and Golden Lights) I quickly grabbed them. I decided then that either the products were super amazing, or so terrible that Superdrug hadn’t even bothered to restock. Well, it turns out that they are super amazing. I mentioned the highlighters in my May favourites because I love them, and wear one or the other every time I wear makeup. I have since made several purchases on their website – this seems to be the best way to see the full range. I am now the proud owner of, well, pretty much everything on there. After a LOT of arguing (with myself, that’s normal, right?) I have chosen a few favourites to share with you.

Firstly, I have the Mermaids Forever eyeshadow palette (£8). I really can’t speak highly enough of this 32 shade collection; there is not a dud in there, in my opinion. The colours are all super pigmented, and blend extremely well. As do the shadows in my other favourite – Run Boy Run. These colours are a little more neutral, and there are some matte shades in there too. The colour payoff is still excellent though, and at £6 it is amazing value.

Mermaids Forever Eyeshadow PaletteRun Boy Run Eyeshadow Palette

The blusher is a baked blusher, so it is pretty hard, but the colour is perfect. Not crazy pigmented, so that it’s scary to use, but not so pale that it looks as though you haven’t bothered. And it is £2.50!

Vivid Baked Blush – All I Think About Is You. E101 and E103.

Next are two highlighters; the Goddess of Love triple baked highlighter in Goddess of Faith; and the Vivid Baked Highlighter in Peach Lights. These are both really great, and shiny without being glittery. These are priced at £4.99 and £3 respectively. Goddess of Faith is a little more subtle, so it can be built up.

I have also included four brushes; this is the full Pro Eye Brush Collection £7.96). They are the E101 eyeshadow brush; E102 Eyeshadow contour brush; E103 eyeshadow blending brush and E104 eyeshadow brush. For budget brushes, I think these are fantastic. They don’t shed, and they do the job they were designed for very well.

Finally, we have one of the very extensive range of lipsticks. This is an Amazing Lipstick (that’s the name, not just the description) The One, a pretty nude colour. I like this lipstick, because it is creamy and pigmented (how many times can I use the word ‘pigmented’ in one post…?). It doesn’t last a particularly long time, but I have yet to find one that does that doesn’t also dry my lips out beyond recognition. These lipsticks come with a little pot of lip balm (or something) in the end, in the matching colour. To be honest, this smells awful, and I am not really sure what its purpose is. It certainly isn’t moisturising, and I struggled to even get a finger inside it to test it. I can overlook this one little error though, when the rest of the collection is so exciting to me. Oh, and these lip colours are £1. Yes, that’s one pound. One can’t really go wrong with those prices.

Amazing Lipstick – The One

It was so difficult to narrow down the palettes in particular, as they are all wonderful. I have been using nothing but for the last few weeks, even choosing them over my beloved Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette. I know, right?! So if you are looking to venture into the world of Revolution (they do ship internationally I believe, although I am not sure what this would cost) then I say go for it, you won’t be disappointed.

Once again, I purchased all of these items myself, and yes that is fake grass. Ask my husband why we have fake grass in our garden.

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I took a quick dash into my local town today, with a list of three or four things that I wanted to pick up. I came home with a LOT more than that.

. I’m really looking forward to trying everything – obviously – but in particular I am excited about the MUA Makeup Academy palettes (top picture). They were very reasonably priced, from Superdrug, and they seem pretty pigmented. Also, the new Bourjois Aqua Blush 12 Hour. I bought mine from Boots, but it also seems to be readily available elsewhere. I also purchased the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde mascara. Mainly because of the packaging, but also because – as I have mentioned before – I am always on the lookout for the perfect mascara. Boots are currently offering a free gift of a Maxi Delight bronzing powder; Bronzing Powder Brush; and a Color Boost Lip Crayon in the colour Peach on the Beach, when spending over £15 on Bourjois products. So I HAD to get the mascara to bump the total to more than £15. I had to, alright?

I’m planning to do a first impressions post on a few of these babies, so check back soon for that.

Disclaimer: as usual I have not been paid to mention any particular shop, product or brand. These are simply the products that called my name the loudest when I was shopping today.

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I am seriously obsessed with ColourPop . It seems every (America based) Beauty Youtuber worth their salt either raves about them, or has done a collaboration with them. What I want to know is; when will they start shipping to the UK? According to their FAQ page, they are hoping to ship to Europe soon, but not soon enough in my opinion. I want to get my sweaty little hands on most of the collection, but I think their highlighters would be top of my list. Or maybe a few eyeshadows… or blushes, wait no – definitely a couple of bronzers. I wonder if I could justify buying one of everything? Would my husband decide I had finally lost it and leave me? I’m not sure I’d even notice if he did, to be honest; I would be so busy swatching, and spreading those gloriously pigmented colours all over my face and laughing with delight. Too much? Yes, probably.

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I bought this mascara on a whim in the supermarket. I didn’t really need it, but I was curious about how exactly it would ‘wake me up’. According to their website it has a ‘precision brush [to add] volume, lift and length’.

I’m afraid for me it did neither add volume, create lift, or add length. It was very ‘wet’ (that should be a plus, right?) and so all it did was weigh my lashes down. I have to admit, I am blessed with reasonably long and healthy lashes, so they can get weighed down by heavy mascaras. I do love to curl them though – a step I do even on makeup-free days. I find this opens my eyes, and makes me look slightly more bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. I suppose I was hoping that Rimmel’s new eye opener would help with that. Alas, it was not to be. Would I recommend it? Possibly. If you are looking for a reasonably cheap mascara with a mahoosive wand (the brush is nearly as big as… well, a very large thing), then go for it. However, if, like me, you are still searching for the Holy Grail of mascaras, that volumises, lifts and curls, then I would give this one a miss.

I purchased this from money taken from our weekly food budget. Don’t worry, the kids still ate that week. Just a little less. This post is not sponsored.

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I am a little late to the Lush party (I was doing my makeup, sorry) but I’m here now! I have been using this gentle, exfoliating cleanser for around 6 weeks now, and I absolutely love the effect it has had on my skin. I have, quite frankly, never looked so glowy and radiant. I would describe my skin as combination, although it errs more on the dry side. I can also be a little sensitive to some products, which manifests itself in bumps along my jawline. This is quite rare though, and I wouldn’t say it is top of my problems (that would be my dry patches, if you’re interested). I wasn’t sure initially that my skin would be able to cope with exfoliating every day, but I have had no problems at all. To be honest, the smell isn’t great, but it is worth it for baby soft cheeks.

It has been stated, by at least one Youtube beauty guru, that a BB cream is just a glorified tinted moisturiser. Now I will neither confirm nor deny this, but what I will say is that this Maybelline BB cream is rather nice. It is very hydrating (a must for me) and offers just enough coverage that I look healthy and a little more even, but not cakey. It’s quick and easy to use, and is one of my all time favourites. It also offers SPF 30.

I really thought about the Pixi Glow Mist before purchasing, I added it to my basket (I bought mine on ASOS) multiple times, and then didn’t complete the purchase. Although not massively expensive, it seemed a little too much to spend on a spray that may not be any better than expensive oily water (Smashbox Primer Water anyone?). I read a few reviews though, and eventually decided to bite the bullet. I didn’t regret it either. If you like a dewy look, then this is your guy. It acts as a refresher throughout the day, and can also be used on bare skin to hydrate. I use it after applying makeup (before mascara, otherwise I end up with black smudges all around my eyes – not a good look) and any time I need to perk things up a bit. I haven’t noticed it leaving an oily film on my skin; it dries very quickly and smells divine.

Maybelline Color Sensational in Tantalizing Taupe

I struggle with lipsticks. I want to wear them, but unfortunately my lips do not agree. In the past lipsticks and glosses have left me with dry, sore lips; so I pretty much gave up for a while. Recently, however, I decided to give it another go. I stumbled across this lovely nude shade whilst browsing in Boots, and got quite excited. It seemed creamy, and I thought the colour would be a good start for someone who is not used to drawing attention to their lips. I couldn’t wait to wear it, and was pleasantly surprised that it did not have a drying or irritating effect on my sensitive lips. Hooray!

I am a blusher and highlighter addict. There I said it. I am really impressed by Makeup Revolution (or just ‘Revolution’?) in general. Their prices are scandalously low, and the quality is, mostly, fantastic. This highlighter is gorgeous. It is pretty pigmented, so a little goes a long way, but it gives a really lovely glow, without being glittery. It is quite pink, so suits my fair complexion. I also have Peach Lights and Golden Lights, which are also very pretty (Golden Lights is veeerrryy gold, so not for the fainthearted).

Disclaimer: All of these products were purchased by me – using my husband’s hard-earned money. ?

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